Ten years ago, The Screech was the hottest lesbian band around. But the mighty musicians have fallen into obscurity and unanticipated turmoil. Iris dreams of a comeback and drinks too much. MJ is her ex, but neither of them can quite let go. Former bandmate Lily and her partner Carol aren’t getting along – so, naturally, they’re trying to have a child together. When a pool party goes horribly wrong, a shocking event knocks these longtime friends and lovers even further out of orbit. Generations collide with dangerous results for these Older, Wiser Lesbians or “OWLs.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Cheryl Dunye, a native of Liberia,received her BA from Temple University and her MFA from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School Of Arts. Dunye’s most recent film,BLACK IS BLUE, won awards at five major festivals,and has struck a powerful nerve with the exploration of everyday racism and transphobic experiences in the lives of trans black men. Her fifth feature film, MOMMY IS COMING,continues to win international awards as the first queer adult romantic comedy. Dunye’s fourth feature film THE OWLS, was celebrated at national and international film festivals in 2010. Her third feature film, Miramax’s MY BABY’S DADDY, was a box office success and played at theaters nationwide. Dunye’s second feature, the acclaimed HBO Films’ STRANGER INSIDE, garnered Dunye an Independent Spirit award nomination for best director in 2002. Dunye’s other works have been included in the Whitney Biennial and screened internationally at festivals in New York,London,Cape Town,Amsterdam, and Sydney.

In 1996, Dunye wrote,directed and starred in her first feature-length film, THE WATERMELON WOMAN. It was awarded the Teddy Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, and won Best Feature at OutFest LA, Italy’s Torino,and France’s Creteil Film Festival. THE WATERMELON WOMAN was recently honored as one of three OutFest UCLA Legacy Project films, and granted a pristine 2K remastering for re-release. The film is currently being honored with a series of 20th Anniversary screenings at top-tier festivals such as the Berlinale,OutFest,the San Francisco International Film Festival, and at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Dunye has served on the Director’s Guild of America’s Independent Council and on the advisory board for New York’s Independent Film Project’s Gordon Parks Award. She was also a mentor for IFP/West Project Involve,and a board member of Los Angeles OutFest. Presently she is a member of the Board of Directors for the Queer Cultural Center,and sits on the board of Radar Productions,as well as the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project.

In addition,Dunye has received grants from the Astraea Foundation, Frameline, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Rockefeller Foundation. She has been honored with the prestigious Anonymous was a Woman Award, as well as a lifetime achievement award from Girlfriend’s Magazine.

Based in Oakland,Dunye is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cinema at San Francisco State University.